Life of Pi team finally in place

Yann Martel's
award-winning novel The Life of Pi is on its third director, but it
looks like this one is going to stick. It was originally M. Night Shyamalan's project, but he left it to take charge of Lady in the Water. Then, last spring, producers were in negotiations with Alfonso Cuarón, but talks ultimately came to nothing. Now, though, things seem to be settled: Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jeunet (who made the surprisingly successful Amélie) will direct. Jeunet has already begun working on a script with writing partner Guillaume Laurant. If all goes well, the team hopes to begin shooting next summer.

No matter who is at the helm, it will not doubt be a challenge to bring The Life of Pi to the screen. The story, which "tells
the tale of a boy stuck on a lifeboat with a tiger, an orangutan, a
zebra and a hyena," is certainly not what you'd think of as Hollywood
material; it'll be fascinating (or, maybe, really depressing) to see
what's done to turn it into a film with mainstream appeal. With Jeunet's
history of making quirky, foreign films appeal to large American
audiences, he's probably more likely than a lot of others to come up
with something that will bring in the all-important profits.